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PERSONAL BLOG - ALISON BRADLEY #2

22 September 2009 | Events | Italian Legendary Tour

I wonder what the dictionary definition for “legends” is.
From the moment I was handed the key to a playful looking Moto Morini 1200 Sport, I began to realise this was one unique experience unfolding before my eyes. The 1200 Sport is a retro looking beast, a sort of 1970s look but bought bang up to date with the latest in modern components. I turned the key and gently blipped the throttle and the bike responded with a low growl that caused many heads to turn. Quite possibly the most beautiful sounding bike. Ever. A gentle roll to the assembly point outside the Dainese factory and I just can’t help myself with the throttle. The sound is addictive and my fellow riders nod appreciatively each time the low bass notes fill the air. This is addictive. This is passion. This is an injection of Italian legend and I can’t help smiling inside my helmet.

We cruise through the bustling Italian towns and begin to move into calmer rural territory. Sixty odd Italian motorcycles hunting as a large pack through the rolling hills. Does it get any better than this for a motorcyclist? So the weather changed after our lunch stop and we lost our way temporarily. Our Italian tour guide shrugged his shoulders, shouted at the skies and we carried on in to the early evening and the dark. Even so, the lousy weather and temporary lack of geographical direction did not dampen our enthusiasm. How could it? I am sitting in a mountain top chalet bar, watching Marco Lucchellini sweet talk the female waitress into allowing his dog in to a no animal area. Surreal? Maybe. Legendary? Definitely. I can’t shake the mental picture of Lucky’s tiny pet Chihuahua riding up front on his Ducati ST3 in a specially adapted tank bag. Only in Italy!
After day 2, and the first real day of riding, I think I can start to give you the Dainese take on that “legendary” definition:
1.    Soul stirring Italian motorcycles
2.    Amazingly breathtaking scenery
3.    Challenging roads and terrain
4.    Multiple world title winning racers
Throw in some crazy climatic weather conditions (blazing sun, thunder and lightning through to torrential rain), the surreal feeling of feeding Marco “Lucky” Lucchellini’s dog under a dining table, grappa tasting in the middle of the day and then a ride in the pitch black crammed in a Transit type van load area with a dozen other bike aficionados and the beginnings of a legendary story of my own start to form.

Alison Bradley